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Essex have brought in Australia Test quick Peter Siddle for the first five games of their Championship title defence

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2018Essex have signed Australia Test quick Peter Siddle for the first five games of their Championship title defence.As in 2017, when Essex supplemented a largely homegrown pace attack with an overseas pro, Siddle will bring an experienced edge during the opening weeks of the season. Essex’s unexpected Championship success was spearheaded by Jamie Porter and former South Africa spinner Simon Harmer, who took 147 wickets between them, but they benefited from significant contributions by Neil Wagner and Mohammad Amir.Siddle, who previously signed to play T20 for Essex in 2012 before being ruled out with injury, will be expected to fulfill a similar role alongside England Lions bowler Porter and a crop of young seamers including Sam Cook, Aaron Beard and Paul Walter.”I am delighted to sign for Essex,” Siddle said. “I have heard very good things about the club and the quality of the playing squad and look forward to contributing strongly towards the title defence during the first few weeks of the season. I’ve enjoyed my previous experiences of county cricket and can’t wait to get underway at Chelmsford.”Siddle, 33, has taken 211 Test wickets and his style of bustling, skillful seam-bowling is well suited to English conditions; on Australia’s 2015 Ashes tour, he claimed match figures of 6 for 67 to help set up victory at The Oval. His last Test appearance was more than a year ago, however, and he has been troubled by persistent back injuries.He has previously enjoyed successful Championship spells with Nottinghamshire and Lancashire. A recent Big Bash League winner with Adelaide Strikers, he is currently only expected to play four-day cricket at Chelmsford.Anthony McGrath, who was recently appointed as Essex’s head coach after Chris Silverwood left to take up a role with England, said that he had spoken to his former Yorkshire team-mate Darren Lehmann, now in charge of Australia, about signing Siddle.”Peter is someone with proven quality at the highest level,” McGrath said. “He is vastly experienced and is a player who won’t just deliver on the pitch but will help our younger bowlers as well.”He recently played in one of the best International teams around, and we are looking forward to picking his brains and seeing what else we can produce as a bowling unit with his help. Darren Lehmann spoke glowingly about him as a person and a bowler when I spoke to him recently, so we are looking forward to him joining us and making a real impact in the opening weeks of the season.”

Medical professionals will judge whether a player is unfit to continue as the ECB takes on the thorny challenge of like-for-like replacements

David Hopps21-Mar-2018Concussion Replacements will be available for the first time in all four professional domestic competitions in England this summer as the ECB has acceded to requests from the counties to put the safety of players ahead of initial fears that the system might be misused.The change of policy is one of several significant changes to the Playing Conditions affecting the Specsavers County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, Vitality Blast and Kia Super League.Dr Nick Peirce, the ECB’s chief medical officer, has overseen ECB research into concussion in cricket for several years. “This is a change made in the interests of player safety and health,” he said. “While concussion is not as common in cricket as in contact sports such as rugby, our research has shown an average of around 15-20 incidents in first and second team cricket during each of the last few seasons.”We have already mitigated against this by making helmets meeting the latest safety standards mandatory, and improving the levels of training for umpires and other officials. Now the ECB Board have approved a proposal from the Cricket Committee that we go a step further – with that proposal reflecting a very strong view from first-class counties.”The previous refusal to allow a replacement player had caused tension within the county system. Coaches, in particular, felt that by emphasising player safety and withdrawing a player they were put at an unfair disadvantage for the rest of the game. The prospect that they might condemn themselves to defeat, with all the possible knock-on effects that might bring, was an outcome that rested more easily with some counties than others.The ECB has now acted, with the safeguard that any decision whether a like-for-like replacement is permissible is left to a medical professional.Peirce said: “This season, each team, home and away, at first and second team level, will have to be supported by a medical professional who is qualified to make judgements on possible concussion following a head-strike. They will initially have a five-minute period to make an on-field assessment, and if concerns remain, that assessment will continue off the field, as previously.”At this stage, there is no Concussion Replacement – and there is no time limit on deciding whether or not the player can return to the match.
“But if the medical professional feels that the player has or may have been concussed, they will notify the Cricket Liaison Officer present. It will then be down to the CLO to approve the concussed player’s team’s nomination of a replacement.”Alan Fordham, the ECB’s head of cricket operations, added: “We appreciate that the phrase ‘like for like’ leaves a need for some flexibility and interpretation. We will take into account the cricket that remains to be played and will aim to replace the resource lost by the affected side – but not so much that they are advantaged.”For example they would not gain permission for a specialist batsman to be replaced by a specialist bowler if they were bowling in the fourth innings, or for a fast bowler to be replaced by a spinner if that team were to be bowling later in the match.”The full Playing Conditions are published on the ECB website.

The former captain and CA Board director said Australia must stop celebrating aggressively in the face of their opponents once the batsman was dismissed

Daniel Brettig15-Mar-2018Mark Taylor, the Cricket Australia Board director, has criticised the national team for their on-field behaviour in South Africa, saying both sides had contributed to the ugly atmosphere that led to Kagiso Rabada’s two-Test ban for physical contact with Steven Smith, and the confrontation between David Warner and Quinton de Kock.In a series of comments likely to sting Smith in particular given their mentoring relationship, Taylor said the Australians should be on their “final warning” from match officials for celebrating in the faces of the opposition when a batsman was dismissed. The clearest example of this was when Warner celebrated the run out of AB de Villiers in Durban by screaming at the other batsman Aiden Markram.”Both sides should be on their final warnings, and that definitely includes Australia,” Taylor told Channel Nine. “There’s been too much of this in-your-face celebration when batsmen are dismissed, and the Australian bowlers have been as guilty as the South African bowlers at times.”Taylor’s comments follow those made by a fellow former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who said that Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann were as culpable as Warner for letting things spiral out of control. Chappell had advocated a suspension for Warner, but also pointed out that team leaders needed to carry a heavy burden of responsibility for their players’ actions.1:59

Noise, grumbling and chatter: Everything that’s taking the sheen off a great series

“I absolutely agree with that,” Taylor said. “Unfortunately it’s where David Warner has come unstuck, he’s actually made a point in recent times of saying that he wants to bring back the old David Warner and get in the face of the opposition. He told the world what he was going to do and what’s more he’s gone about and done it, and taken it to another level.”I’m not suggesting for a minute we have silence out in the middle, but there’s no doubt it’s getting worse. Bullying is not a bad term for it, and they’re using it too much. It just keeps escalating and now it’s getting out of hand.”As for Rabada’s appeal against a two-Test ban, which appears likely to be heard before the start of the third Test in Cape Town next week, Taylor said he considered the bowler to have made “avoidable” contact with the Australian captain after dismissing him on day one of the Test at St George’s Park.”I’m not surprised South Africa are appealing the suspension because he’s obviously a key player for them,” Taylor said. “Having taking 11 wickets in the last Test they are going to do everything they can to keep him on the field, but he’s in trouble because he’s already been found guilty. In my mind the contact with Steve Smith in the second Test was avoidable, so that’s why he’s in trouble.”A fresh set of match officials are due to oversee the series in the final two Tests at Newlands and the Wanderers, with Jeff Crowe’s match referee role to be taken over by the former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Pycroft, who also officiated in South Africa’s series victory in Australia in late 2016.

If the rain stays away, two of the best bowling units may be able to coax the ground away from its high-scoring ways

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu12-Jun-20195:04

Agarkar: Vijay should slot in at No. 4

Big Picture

Well, we won’t be seeing a repeat of that warm-up game. For one, the weather’s being a pest. The UK Met Office predicts at least 50% chance of rain in Nottingham on Thursday.But just for a moment, let’s dare to dream. We know Trent Bridge no longer entertains outlandish notions like an even contest between bat and ball. So maybe it’s a good thing that the forecast is for grey skies. It’ll add even more spectacle to what Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah can already do. This World Cup has offered some tasty cricket, especially when conditions are tilted in favour of the bowlers. And both these teams have batsmen capable of standing up to such a test.ALSO READ: Mitchell Santner – the X factor is in his instinct and his braveryIndia’s top order has been an immense strength for them but it’s been in a bit of flux heading into this game with Shikhar Dhawan injured and KL Rahul expected to take his place.That’s no big advantage to New Zealand because their opening partnership has been among the least productive since the 2015 World Cup. They rely on their middle order for most of their runs, but even there India have them beat because they have the better quality hitters. Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni are perfect to build on the typically good starts that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli give them.So, to even things out, let’s have a grey, gloomy, non-rainy, bowler-friendly day and watch who can rise above.Shikhar Dhawan and Trent Boult are in high spirits•IDI via Getty Images

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWLLL
New Zealand: WWWWW

In the spotlight

KL Rahul has started to become an all-purpose fix-it kind of player. At Kings XI Punjab this IPL, he was given the role of anchor. For the same team in the previous IPL, he was asked to forget about everything and just go berserk. For India, he’s the back-up opener, but then showed he has the game to be their No. 4 bat. That really is the thing here. Rahul has the game – when he’s switched on he can even find a way through those nasty inswingers that keep getting him out and that’s why he’s able to adapt to all the roles given to him. Just a question of staying switched on.ALSO READ: Aakash Chopra on what India need to do to beat New ZealandTom Latham might understand those sentiments. He too is an opener by trade but has had to take up a middle order position because New Zealand needed stability there and he’s got the skills to tackle the kind of bowling most No. 5s usually face – spin, spin and more spin. Plus, he’s taken on wicketkeeping duties as well and has become a very safe presence behind the stumps.

Team news

The only question around the Indian team is who will come in at No. 4. Vijay Shankar was the first batsman to hit the nets. Is that enough of a hint that he’ll make his World Cup debut?India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik/Vijay Shankar, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahHardik Pandya plays a drive•Getty Images

Colin Munro was worked out the last time these team teams played against each other, so there may be a case of having Henry Nicholls back as opener. Plus, seeing as Tim Southee is fit, he could make a return to the XI, if only because of his record against Kohli: 188 runs, 179 balls and five dismissals.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro/ Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Colin de Grandhomme, 9 Tim Southee/Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

This game will be played on a fresh strip, one that is more centrally located and therefore helping even out the boundary distances. They’ll still be short though and that’s why most teams prefer chasing here. But if you truly do prefer setting a total, just know that, since July 8 2015, the average first innings score that’s resulted in a win is 390. #GoooooodLuck

Strategy punt

• Hardik goes at a strike rate of 114 in his first 20 balls. Out of all the batsmen that have scored at least 500 runs since the last World Cup, that is the absolute best and that is why he is so dangerous. He hits from from ball one; hits any kind of bowling from ball one. But New Zealand might just have a way to get the better of him. His head-to-head with Trent Boult reads 32 runs in 35 balls and three dismissals.
• Attack Kane Williamson with spin. He’s got a very modest record against all the options India might consider throwing at him: 53 runs in 69 balls and two dismissals against Yuzvendra Chahal, 18 runs in 25 balls and two dismissals against Kuldeep Yadav and 64 runs in 81 balls and two dismissals against…. drumroll please… Kedar Jadhav.

Stats and Trivia

• Kohli needs 57 runs to complete 11,000 in ODIs. And considering he’ll only be playing his 222nd innings, he will be the quickest to the mark, beating Sachin Tendulkar who took 276 innings to get there.
• Ross Taylor has been New Zealand’s best ODI player for the past couple of years – average 79 – and he’ll be ultra-crucial against India because of his record against spin: 87 runs in 101 balls and one dismissal against Chahal, 42 runs in 47 balls and no dismissals against Kuldeep

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the ODI series but is in the T20I squad

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-20251:19

Chopra: Rohit’s place in the side will now depend on form

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been picked in India’s ODI squad for the series in Australia starting on October 19, marking their international comebacks after last playing in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in March. The squad will be led by Shubman Gill, who has replaced Rohit as the ODI captain, with Shreyas Iyer the vice-captain.The selection panel, headed by former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, met on Saturday in Ahmedabad, where India won the first Test of the series against West Indies by an innings and 140 runs.There are five changes to the ODI squad from the 15 that won the Champions Trophy in the UAE in March: Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy are missing, Hardik Pandya is recovering from a quadriceps injury, Rishabh Pant has not yet fully recovered from the broken foot he suffered in England, and Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. They have been replaced by allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was injured for the Champions Trophy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.Related

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“With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, but there will be some competition for places,” Agarkar said. “Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE]. At the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep there as well. I don’t think we are going to need more than that in Australia. It’s a short series, you can’t accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he is missing out, but it’s nothing more than that.”Bumrah is part of the T20I squad for the five matches in Australia after the ODI series. The only change to the T20I squad that won the Asia Cup last month is Hardik being replaced by Reddy, while Washington has been added, making it a squad of 16.”We have already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that,” Agarkar said about Bumrah. “Wherever you can give him a break, you will, because we all know how important he is, but we have also got to see what is in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he is always available, but we will look after [him]. Not just him, Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who do play Test cricket, who will end up having a lot of bowling to do, so we will try and manage all the seamers, so that we minimise the risk of injuries.”Agarkar indicated that Gill and Rohit were likely to open in the ODIs, which means Jaiswal could miss out on a place in the starting XI. He also said Jurel was picked ahead of Sanju Samson in the ODI squad due to batting position, while KL Rahul is likely to remain the first-choice wicketkeeper.”Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order,” Agarkar said. “I think when he got a 100, I think he batted No. 3, if I am not wrong. Jurel usually bats lower down the order. KL bats there as well. You have seen how good a player Dhruv is. Again, you are looking at spots. I don’t think there is room at the top again. So, we are looking at guys who can fit in those spots. Obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there [middle order] and we are trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it’s a little bit different. So, that’s basically the thought. It’s more the position than anything else.”India play three ODIs in Australia on October 19, 23 and 25, followed by five T20Is between October 29 and November 8.

India’s ODI squad for Australia

Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India’s T20I squad for Australia

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

The restricted version of the DRS, however, will not comprise Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge, the two key elements of the system used in international cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jul-2019To reduce umpiring errors, the BCCI has decided to utilise what it calls “limited DRS” during the Ranji Trophy knockout matches from this season. This restricted version of the DRS will not comprise Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge, the two key elements of the system used in international cricket.Saba Karim, BCCI’s general manager of cricket, confirmed the development saying several captains and coaches had complained to the board about the “howlers” committed by the on-field umpires that could be avoided. “Last year, in some of the knockout matches, there was some flak on umpires because there were some terrible howlers,” Karim told ESPNcricinfo. “So we want to avoid all that and use whatever help we can get. For the knockouts in Ranji Trophy matches, we will utilise all the technology available to us as a means to apply the limited DRS to help the on-field umpires make the correct decision.”The decision to implement this limited version of the DRS was approved by the Committee of Administrators, the supervisory authority of the BCCI, in June. The CoA was told that “grievances” were raised over the umpiring standards in domestic cricket at the Captains and Coaches Conclave recently and it was felt that the limited DRS could “reduce the occurrences” of bad decision-making.One example of such controversial decision-making occurred during the last Ranji Trophy semi-final between Karnataka and Saurashtra in Bengaluru when Cheteshwar Pujara got reprieved twice – once in each innings – and that eventually cost the hosts a spot in the final.Karim said he would have a “brainstorming session” with the match officials, including umpires and referees, along with the board’s broadcasting team to understand the “extent” to which the available technology can be used.According to Karim, 18-20 cameras are used during the broadcast of a match on TV or on the digital platform, and these would be utilised wherever possible to help the match officials adjudicate on debatable on-field umpiring calls.”We are just trying to use it as an experiment just to see how much it can be useful to domestic cricket,” Karim said. “We will use whatever cameras we can use to come to the right decision.”

Former Nottinghamshire and MCC chief executive Derek Brewer has also been co-opted to the board as a non-voting “stakeholder advisor”

George Dobell05-May-2018Glamorgan chairman Barry O’Brien is among four new non-executive directors named by the ECB. It is also understood that Derek Brewer, the former Nottinghamshire and MCC chief executive, has been co-opted to the board as a non-voting “stakeholder advisor” in the hope he will keep the ECB appraised of the concerns of the counties.O’Brien, who will be obliged to step down from his club position to take up the post, has been a Glamorgan committee member since 2007 and chairman since 2011. Under his stewardship the club has reduced its debt significantly, largely thanks to several creditors agreeing to write off loans, and benefited from a controversial agreement whereby the ECB provide compensation payments to the club in return for them not bidding to host further Test cricket. A widely respect corporate lawyer, O’Brien is a former head of corporate finance at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the world’s largest law firms.The other non-executive directors are Brenda Trenowden, who has a strong history in banking (she is currently head of Financial Institutions for the ANZ Banking Group) and is global chair of the 30% Club, a campaigning organisation which advocates increased representation for women in senior leadership roles; Delia Bushell, who was previously Managing Director of BT Sport & BT TV; and Alan Dickinson, who is a former Chief Executive of RBS UK. Dickinson will also be obliged to step down from his position as Treasurer of Surrey.But it is the appointment of O’Brien, subject to ratification at the ECB’s AGM, which is most intriguing. The compensation payments from the ECB are currently the subject of an external review by the Good Governance Institute and, in 2007, O’Brien was fined by the Law Society for breaching his duty to a client and bringing his profession into disrepute. It emerged he had advised a consortium run by Philip Green over a proposed takeover of Marks & Spencer who had been a longstanding client of his employer, Freshfields.The new non-executive directors were chosen by the ECB’s Nominations Committee, headed by ECB chairman Colin Graves, following a series of formal interviews. The board is reducing in size from 13 to 12 and, in line with Sport England guidelines, attempting to increase its gender diversity. And while it is noticeable that there is no representative of a Category C ground (a non-international venue) on the board, the ECB had previously announced it would create a board independent of individual county interests.Former county chairmen Chris Grant (Derbyshire) and James May (Sussex), who it is understood was interviewed as part of the process, had previously intimated their desire to stand for a position on the board, though it is unclear whether Grant subsequently applied.While it has not been yet announced, ESPNcricinfo understands that the ECB’s non-executive directors will shortly be paid somewhere in the region of £15,000 a year, before expenses, or up to £150,000 a year for the chairman. Graves has intimated he may well waive any personal payment.Among those stepping down from the ECB board are former chairman Giles Clarke, who has been an ever-present for more than a decade, Peter Wright and Ian Lovett – former chairmen of Nottinghamshire and Middlesex respectively. Surrey chairman Richard Thompson and Andy Nash – who had stepped down as chairman of Somerset in the hope of remaining as a non-executive director at the ECB – both recently resigned having cited their dissatisfaction at the compensation payments and the corporate governance of the organisation.

“I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and get the batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger”

Sidharth Monga25-Jul-20254:35

Morkel defends India’s tactics with the ball

After India conceded 500 for the first time in over ten years outside Asia and the West Indies, the bowling coach Morne Morkel was not sure he had answers for many questions – dropping pace of the bowlers, use of Shardul Thakur as the bowling allrounder, delayed injection of Washington Sundar into the attack – but one thing he was certain of: that India have been making selections looking for batting cover.Morkel was asked repeatedly about the repeated exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, a unique strike bowler who has not played a single Test on this tour. “I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and how we can get that batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger,” Morkel said. “We’ve seen in the past that we’ve lost wickets in clumps. Kuldeep is world class and he’s bowling really well at the moment, so we’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in. But unfortunately, with that, just to balance with batting throws it out a little bit.”Morkel was asked again why India were being so defensive. “I do think at the end of the day you need runs on the board, and for us obviously giving that a little bit of extra batting protection, wanting to get totals of 400-plus,” he said. “You need it against England, especially the way they play, their brand of cricket.Related

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“But to be honest, the wicket so far has been dry and it’s actually spun a little bit. So that brings Washington into the game. It brings Jaddu [Jadeja] into the game. So Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just more that consistent runs from our top six that we want so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in.”Morkel was asked why the side doesn’t think that playing proper strike bowlers also reduces the batters’ burden by winning them matches with fewer runs. “There’s always an option of going in with quicks and picking your six best bat,” Morkel said. “All those discussions we have had or we do discuss. But I think so far in this match, the last two Test matches, the guys who have played have done a good job in terms of spin bowling. We were ever so close to winning that Test match at Lord’s. We had a great Test match at Edgbaston. So I think so far we’ve played good cricket, good cricket bar yesterday’s bowling performance.”That does bring one to the question of why India couldn’t create as much jeopardy as England did after three Tests of looking like a potentially better bowling unit. Morkel felt that India went searching too much on day two, which is when they ended up bowling too straight and leaked runs. He said they were better with their areas on the third day, but they needed more energy on the ball. He was asked about the drop in the pace of the whole unit.”That’s something that we’re trying to get our heads around,” Morkel said. “On a surface where it gets a little bit flat, you need a little bit of energy behind the ball. I think that’s definitely one of the factors for us so far in our bowling innings. Just getting that little bit of extra zip off the wicket to create the opportunities for caught behind and lbw.Washington Sundar made an immediate impact after being introduced into the attack rather late•Getty Images

“But yeah, I mean to look at the workloads of guys like Siraj and those sort of guys, they’ve had heavy workloads. Anshul [Kamboj]’s first Test match so far, and it’s important for us to grow and develop a nice fast-bowling unit. So not too much to judge on that. Also, a heavier sort of outfield. But in terms of commitment and effort that the guys have put in, I don’t think we can fault that. It’s just a good point you made. You need a little bit of energy on the ball on good surfaces where the ball at times is not doing as much.”Kamboj, the debutant who bowled in the late 120kphs, was picked practically straight off the flight ahead of Prasidh Krishna, who has been with the squad and played the first two Tests. “The discussion going into the Test match was somebody, a bowler that can bowl volume, one guy to bowl overs. Somebody who can ask questions at the stumps, off stump, an accurate sort of bowler. And Anshul, I think I’m sure at domestic level has done that. He’s done really well on the India A tour here, and he was a guy whose name’s been in the mix for a long time, and they gave him the opportunity for that.”About the lack of bowling for Thakur, Morkel said: “A bit of a tough fit when you have four seamers. When you’re going at five runs and over, I think as a captain, you want to bring strike bowlers back to try and take the wickets. Unfortunately, it happened for Shadul in that first Test match as well.”Washington was the last bowler used and he took two wickets and brought some control. “Shubman just made the call in there to stick a little bit longer with the seam options,” Morkel said. “I think in the first couple of days we saw the ball moving around and seaming around and pace on the ball was the way to go and then when we got the opportunity to bowl, we missed our length. So did we bowl enough good balls to say that we need to go to spin straightaway? I don’t think so. And I think when he got the opportunity today with ball in hand, Washi did a great job for us.”

India A gather healthy lead after India D are skittled out for 183

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2024Khaleel Ahmed’s India career hasn’t quite taken off, but a decent IPL opened the doors for a white-ball return in Zimbabwe in July for the first time since 2019. Now, Khaleel is working his way back up to a steady diet of first-class cricket.The ongoing Duleep Trophy fixture is only his 14th since his debut in 2017, and with Yash Dayal having leapfrogged him to the Indian Test squad for Bangladesh, Khaleel had another opportunity to impress. On Friday, he built on his five wickets from the opening round to pick up another three first-innings wickets to give India A control.Having added just two runs to their overnight 288 for 8, India A bowled out India C for just 183, with Khaleel turning in a superb spell of swing and seam bowling to finish with 3 for 39.While he just bowled eight overs, he managed to create opportunities and kept batters guessing with his late movement and lift. He dismissed Atharva Taide with a wicked inswinger that he shouldered arms to off the third ball of the innings and then had Shreyas Iyer for a seven-ball duck in his second over.Iyer, seemingly troubled by the away-movement and a short ball that he somehow managed to sway out of, fell as he lobbed a full delivery to mid-on, unable to fully commit to the shot because he had been hanging back in the crease.Khaleel’s third was Zaheer Khan-esque for the angle he managed to create from around the stumps as he bent one back in late to strike Ricky Bhui on the pads. Bhui was overbalanced and was trapped plumb in front.File photo: Devdutt Padikkal scored 92 of India D’s total of 183 all out•PTI

Khaleel’s fire from one end was matched by the intensity of young Uttar Pradesh quick Aaqib Khan. Just 12 first-class games old, Aaqib isn’t express pace but makes up for that with his control and minute deviations off the pitch. In what is possibly his most high-profile first-class appearance so far, Aaqib remained unfazed by the quality of batters up against him.One of his three wickets early in his spell was that of the returning Sanju Samson, whose stay lasted just six deliveries as he miscued a pull to mid-on. Aaqib finished with 3 for 41.For India D, only Devdutt Padikkal was among the runs, a punchy 92 filled with sumptuous cover drives and a solid back foot game, especially off his statemate Prasidh Krishna, who bowled a lot better than his figures of 11-4-30-1 suggest.Prasidh had the last laugh, however, when he had Padikkal with one that decked away sharply to take the edge through to the wicketkeeper. Padikkal’s 92 came off just 124 balls with wickets falling around him. He hit 15 boundaries in his knock.Having taken a 107-run lead, Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh tucked into a tired attack to hit half-centuries late in the day, before an innocuous delivery from Iyer had Agarwal tamely lobbing a return catch in the dying moments of play.

New Hundred role will run concurrently with existing duties at Derbyshire

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, is set to combine his duties at the club with a new role as director of cricket at Northern Superchargers.Derbyshire finished rock-bottom of the County Championship in 2024, with one win in 14 matches in Division Two, and failed to reach the knock-outs in either the T20 Blast or the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.However, Arthur’s managerial experience, which includes a recent stint as Pakistan’s team director, has proven attractive to Superchargers, where he will work alongside the men’s and women’s head coaches, Andrew Flintoff and Lisa Keightley.He will advise the Hundred teams on recruitment and offer support to the head coaches, but Derbyshire insist his role at Superchargers will be “largely hands-off”. He will remain with the county during the Metro Bank One-Day Cup which runs concurrently to the Hundred.”Derbyshire remains my primary focus and I’m committed to achieving our goals of bringing success to the club,” Arthur said. “We encourage all of our players and coaches to develop their skills in new environments and this is another example of that.”As a club, our personnel are in demand and that’s a testament to the work being done behind the scenes, and we are confident results will soon come on-field.”Ryan Duckett, Derbyshire’s chief executive, added: “Mickey remains fully committed to Derbyshire, he lives and breathes the club and we hope that he can use this opportunity to showcase the quality Derbyshire has.”It’s been a positive winter, with Mickey, Wayne [Madsen] and Zak [Chappell] lifting silverware overseas, while Harry Moore and Pat Brown have represented us within the England setup recently.”Our squad has been working hard over the winter, and this will ramp up even further over the next couple of months to give us the best possible chance of success in 2025, with an exciting summer ahead.”